Indoor
Air Quality (IAQ)

Information on monitored CO, CO2, humidity and
temperatures measured during a study. Records min., max.
and average levels during both overall test and actual
exposure hours.

Detailed Overview:
DataPipe’s
indoor air quality (IAQ) module may be used standalone or in
conjunction with modules for IH sampling or general environmental testing for
chemical and physical measures of the environment. If you would like additional information about this module, please contact DataPipe USA directly. An online demonstration can be set up so that you can see this module live on the screen while we discuss how you can utilize it within your organization.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ),
also referred to as Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), is an extremely broad
topic that has application in many spaces or environments. Clearly the workspace – a manufacturing site
or its associated offices are obvious places where one might think about
IAQ. But other areas include hospitals,
office-only buildings, schools, commercial aircraft and private residences. "Sick Building Syndrome" is a term
many people use to convey a wide range of symptoms they believe can be attributed
to the building itself.

For example, the
American National Standards
Institute has Standard 62.2, “Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in
Low-Rise Residential Buildings.” From
the Spring/Summer 2004 issue of the ANSI Reporter:

Are
concerns about indoor air quality making it difficult for you to breathe easy
in your own home? Guidance to make the air in homes healthier and safer without
adding significant costs is provided in a recently published ASHRAE standard.
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in
Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is the only nationally recognized indoor air
quality standard developed solely for residences. It is intended for use in
building codes.

Residential
ventilation traditionally was not a major concern because it was felt people
were getting enough outdoor air by opening their windows and by air leaking
through the building’s walls.

As homes
and duct systems are built tighter to save energy, trapping contaminants
indoors, concern has risen about indoor air quality, especially now that people
spend almost 90 percent of their day indoors — 65 percent of that in their
homes. Also, residents are less likely to open windows because of energy costs,
security issues, drafts, noise, and dirty air from outside.

Studies
from the Environmental Protection Agency on human exposure to air pollutants
show that indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times, sometimes more
than 100 times, higher than outdoor levels. People in buildings frequently
report discomfort and building-related health symptoms, and sometimes develop
building-related illnesses.

Some
requirements in the standard that represent significant changes from standard
practice include use of sound rated fans (because disruptively noisy fans are
now commonly used) as well as use of mechanical, whole-house ventilation, which
only a small fraction of houses currently use.

The
purpose of the standard is to provide the necessary building service of
providing minimum acceptable indoor air quality, according to Sherman. A standard such as 62.2 benefits
HVAC&R professionals and allied industries because it defines a
demonstrable set of criteria for acceptability, which can be used to provide
known value to the owner.

ASHRAE
also is continuing its efforts to improve ventilation in commercial and
institutional buildings. The society expects to publish Standard 62-2004,
Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality as well. The standard, which sets
minimum ventilation rates and other requirements for commercial and
institutional buildings, will contain several new addenda.

In the
area of aircraft cabin air quality, ASHRAE continues work on its proposed
standard, 161P, Air Quality Within Commercial
Aircraft. Standards are needed to ensure that cabin air is safe for crewmembers
and passengers, minimizes the potential for adverse health effects and is
comfortable to occupants. ASHRAE hopes to approve a first public review draft
later this year.

Instrumentation for monitoring IAQ depends, of
course, on what one is sampling for.
Dedicated IAQ monitors exist for sampling several common components over
long times. Individual monitoring
devices familiar to Industrial Hygienists can be used for more specific
contaminants. Gasses (O2, CO2, etc.),
dust, molds, moisture content (humidity) and other components of our breathing
environment are candidates.

An ASTM paper, “Overview of Indoor Air Quality Sampling and Analysis” by H. Levin
(STP957-EB) is summarized this way:

During
recent years, sampling and analysis of atmospheres for indoor air quality in
non-industrial environments have increased substantially. Enhanced
understanding of indoor air pollution has resulted. Increased recognition of
the complexity of indoor environments has led to even more sampling and
analysis. Many methods used for indoor air are similar to those employed in
workplace and ambient air. However, sampling conditions are often difficult; a
very large number of pollutants are usually present, although at low
concentrations; some pollutants of concern are at extremely low concentrations;
and complex mixtures can create interferences.

Instrumentation
requirements differ from those of ambient or industrial applications. Passive
monitors and other unobtrusive monitoring equipment have received much
attention. Sampling and analysis for biological aerosols will probably increase
during the next few years. Other environmental factors are often critical and
must also be characterized or measured. Social science and health investigatory
methods are often employed in conjunction with air monitoring. Further research
and development are needed for standardization in several areas including the
sampling and analysis of organic compounds at very low concentrations, the
general acceptance of standardized monitoring protocols, and guidelines for the
consistent reporting and interpretation of data.

The range of investigations of indoor air quality problems
encompasses complaints from one or two employees to episodes where entire
facilities are shut down and evacuated until the events are investigated and
problems corrected. (OSHA)

Complaints are often of a subjective, nonspecific nature and are
associated with periods of occupancy. These symptoms often disappear when the
employee leaves the workplace. They include headache, dizziness, nausea,
tiredness, lack of concentration, and eye, nose, and throat irritation. (OSHA)

In approximately 500 indoor air quality investigations in the last
decade, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found
that the primary sources of indoor air quality problems are:

7.Radon.Sources: Ground beneath buildings, building materials, and groundwater. Acute health effects: No acute health effects are known but chronic
exposure may lead to increased risk of lung cancer from alpha radiation.

10.Asbestos.Sources: Insulation and other building materials such as floor tiles,
dry wall compounds, reinforced plaster. Acute health effects: Asbestos is normally not a source of acute health
effects. However, during renovation or maintenance operations, asbestos may be
dislodged and become airborne. Evaluation of employee exposure to asbestos will
normally be covered under the OSHA Asbestos standard.

12.Tobacco Smoke.Sources: Cigars, cigarettes, pipe tobacco. Acute health effects: Tobacco smoke can irritate the
respiratory system and, in allergic or asthmatic persons, often results in eye
and nasal irritation, coughing, wheezing, sneezing, headache, and related sinus
problems. People who wear contact lenses often complain of burning, itching,
and tearing eyes when exposed to cigarette smoke. 6
Tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor air quality problems. Tobacco
smoke contains several hundred toxic substances including carbon monoxide,
nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, tars, and nicotine. Most indoor air
particulates are due to tobacco smoke and are in the respirable range.

Although asbestos and radon have been listed, acute health effects
are not associated with these contaminants. These have been included due to
recent concerns about their health effects. The investigator should be aware
that there may be other health effects in addition to those listed.

A lot can be told about a workspace without testing
for all possible gasses, chemicals, etc.
The typical IAQ monitor covers four metrics, carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, temperature and humidity.
Certainly other measures of air quality can be made. But, for general “tight building” problems,
just monitoring CO2 levels will tell the investigator much about the general conditions
in the building and the effectiveness of the ventilation system.

Of course, a building might have an excellent fresh
air supply system but be bringing in contaminants from the outside. Then sampling for other substances would be
needed. One vendor’s series of IAQ
monitors has the following available:

Equipment exists which can be put in place to operate
for days at a time, logging periodic measurements of the values and also
recording when the maximum and minimum levels occurred. Hand-held instruments can give
near-instantaneous readings of various metrics.